As the year closes, it’s only natural to look back at the previous months and review the highlights. During a difficult year like 2020, however, that tradition is decidedly different. So is reviewing the top trending travel destinations, posts and travel topics of the year.
This year, most people didn’t travel much, or at all. We all need to do what we can to protect ourselves and others. But that doesn’t mean we weren’t thinking of travel, dreaming of when we can travel easily and safely again and also wondering about pandemic travel safety and what the travel and tourism industries are doing to stay safe.
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MEXICO HOTEL REVIEW: Video Tour of Live Aqua Cancun Resort
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That curiosity, concern and wanderlust is evident in this year’s list of the top trending travel posts and destinations of the year. Every end-of-the-year list is different of course, but this one is quite interesting in how it reflects what’s on traveler’s minds during the pandemic.
Here’s what drew the most traffic, likes and comments across all of my channels — Instagram, YouTube and this lovely little travel blog called LatinFlyer.
LatinFlyer Top Trending Travel Destination of 2020: Cancun
Considering that it’s Mexico’s biggest tourism destination, it’s no surprise that Cancun ranks as the top trending destination of the year. Even during the pandemic, Cancun was one of the first Latin American destinations to put in place extensive pandemic hygiene protocols and start welcoming travelers again. Cancun also welcomed me twice; it was the first destination I visited during the pandemic, to report on the new safety protocols and the new normal at all-inclusive Cancun hotels. My videos on YouTube as well as photos on Instagram from the destination were among the most viewed, shared and liked.
In addition to Cancun, a variety of other Latin America travel destinations also ranked high this year. Here’s the full list:
• Cancun
• Mexico City
• The Mexican state of Yucatan
• Punta Cana, Dominican Republic
• Riviera Nayarit, Mexico
• Valle de Bravo, Mexico
• Guatapé, Colombia
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PANDEMIC TRAVEL TIPS: How to Get a COVID-19 Test in the Dominican Republic
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Top Travel Videos of 2020
I’m not a professional videographer. My YouTube channel specializes in unscripted, unpolished, unfiltered travel videos, especially tours of hotels where I visit. People seem to respond well to the fact that these videos aren’t doctored up to make everything glossy and commercial. What you see is what you get.
During the pandemic, these travel videos proved even more popular, attracting more than 67,000 views in 2020 from people who are curious about what it’s like to stay in a hotel today.
These are the top 5 travel videos of the year on my channel (click to watch the videos):
- Grand Fiesta Americana Coral Beach Cancun: Hotel Tour & Pandemic Hygiene Protocol
- Hyatt Ziva Cancun — Hotel Tour & New Sanitation Protocols
- Live Aqua Cancun Hotel Tour
- $95 Airbnb in San Juan, Puerto Rico: What You Get for the Money
- Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos Hotel Tour & New Pandemic Protocols
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MEXICO TRAVEL TIPS: How to Visit Mexico Safely During the Pandemic. Should You Go?
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Top Travel Blog Posts on LatinFlyer
Since even the most well-traveled industry professionals were grounded for several months during the pandemic, we all got rather reflective about what travel means to us, and what we miss the most about it. This is reflected in the travel blog posts that attracted the most views and likes in 2020 — especially those in which my fellow travel writers and travel industry colleagues took time to share their insight and feelings. Also popular were travel tips about whether now is the time to travel, and how to travel safely during the pandemic if you do decide to venture out.
These are the top 5 travel blog posts of the year on LatinFlyer (click to read):
- Travel PR Guru Paola Cuevas Talks About Traveling During the Pandemic
- Dreaming of Traveling Again? These 6 Mexico Hotels Will Make You Go Wow
- Travel Expert Jennine Cohen on Argentina, Travel & Life During the Pandemic
- What I learned while Flying During the Pandemic — And What You Need To Know
- Travel Writer Ivan Quintanilla on Yucatan Vacations and Where to Go Next
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AIRLINE REVIEW: What It’s Like to Fly JetBlue to Punta Cana During the Pandemic
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Top Travel Destinations on Instagram
Instagram is, by nature, a very visual channel, and so the destinations that ranked high on my Instagram channel may not be related directly to the popularity of the destination — it may be more about the individual photos that attracted attention. This seems especially apparent since all but one of the top nine photos of the year on my Instagram account were people shots. And five of them were shirtless men (most were selfies, since I usually travel alone for work and don’t have anyone else to photograph; the other was of a very handsome Ecuadorean waiter at a gay bar in West Hollywood — and he outranked me by far).
Perhaps that says something about people liking to see people more than other places, or that they like to get a glimpse into personal lives and not just generic travel experiences. Or maybe some just like gay daddies.
At any rate, here are the destinations that appeared in my top photos on Instagram, followed by the visuals that inspired them:
- West Hollywood, California
- Riviera Nayarit, Mexico (at the Conrad Punta de Mita Hotel — click to see my full hotel video tour!)
- New York City
- Guatape, Colombia
- Cancun (Hyatt Ziva Cancun — click to see the hotel video tour!)
- Punta Cana, Dominican Republic (TRS Turquesa Hotel – another hotel review video!)
I hope that none of us ever have to go through another year like this, and I wish everyone all the best for a very happy 2021. Stay safe, wear a mask, maintain your distance and get the vaccine when you can. Here’s to a future in which we can travel again!